Author name: oisinkelly

The leader of the Green Party is accusing the Government of arrogance over its decision not to proceed with seven planning investigations, including one in Donegal. The inquiries were set up by Eamon Ryan’s predecessor John Gormley – during his time as Minister for the Environment. The current Environment Minister Phil Hogan says external investigations […]

The CEO of An Post is to be asked about the closure of post offices across the country, including Laghey and Menalaragh in Co Donegal. Donegal Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill has confirmed that a Joint Oireachtas Committee will request the attendance of Donal Connell to discuss the persistent closures of rural post offices. Senator Ó

Donegal Deputies Pearse Doherty and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn have launched a bill that will reverse the Household Charge. The Local Government (Household Charge) (Repeal) Bill 2012 will, if passed, reverse the household charge and allow the Department to reimburse those households that have already paid it. Sinn Féin will be tabling the bill during private

  It’s been confirmed council offices in Donegal will open on Saturday to facilitate payment of the Household Charge.   The council’s headquarters in Lifford will be open, as will public service centres in Letterkenny, Milford, Donegal Town, Dungloe and Carndonagh.   The Town Council offices in Buncrana and Bundoran will also be open.  

Gardai are investigating an incident in Letterkenny last night in which a woman was struck by a vehicle at the end of Lower Main Street, close to Ballymacool Terrace. The incident happened at around 7.20pm. The woman is being treated in hospital, but it’s not thought her injuries are life threatening. The area remains closed

Donegal County Council is throwing its wait behind the campaign to keeop Lifford Hospital open. This week, members agreed to back any proposals the friends of the hospital come up with for the hospital’s future, after the HSE and the minister said they would carefully consider any suggested alternatives to closure. Cllr Gerry Crawford moved

It’s emerged that a Donegal prisoner who escaped from an open prison earlier this month had absconded from the same facility once before. The Department of Justice has released details of a report from the Irish Prison Service on the escape of Martin McDermott from Loughan House in Co. Cavan on the 15th of March.

Police are appealing for information after a substantial quantity of lead was stolen from the roof of a school in Derry. The theft at Long Tower Primary School on Bishop Street occurred sometime after 6 o’clock on Monday night and 8 o’clock yesterday morning. Police in the city are urging people to look out for

The HSE is warning that the Emergency Department at Letterkenny General Hospital is extremely busy today, with a high number of patients requiring admission. The HSE says anyone attending the Emergency Department at Letterkenny General Hospital can expect delays, and people are being urged to contact their GP or GP Out-of-Hours service in the first

The number of planning permissions granted in Donegal continues to fall, but the rate of decline is slowing. There were 189 permissions granted in the final quarter of last year, compared to 232 in the final quarter of 2010. That’s a fall of 18%, compared to a fall of just under 50% between 2010 and

The Deputy State Pathologist is due in Letterkenny this afternoon to carry out a post-mortem examination on the body discovered near Redcastle last evening. The badly decomposed remains were discovered on the shore of Lough Foyle shortly after 4 o’clock, with gardai predicting the body may have been in the water for between four and

Gardai are investigating the discovery of human remains near Redcastle. The badly decomposed remains were discovered by walkers on the shore of Lough Foyle shortly after 4 o’clock last evening The remains have been removed to Letterkenny General Hospital for examination. Gardai have contacted the PSNI in relation to the discovery and in an effort

The family of murdered PSNI officer Ronan Kerr are preparing to mark the first anniversary of his death. The 25 year old died when a booby trap car bomb exploded under his car in Omagh in April last year. A splinter group claiming it was made up of former members of the Provisional IRA claimed

Donegal County Council are again urging people in the final days running up to the household charge deadline to pay the tax. The Government has been criticised for its handling of the household charge campaign – however, a surge in online registrations was reported yesterday, ahead of the deadline of this Saturday. Director of Finance

Members of Donegal County Council are backing calls for Junior MInister Ciaran Cannon to meet with parents in the Finn valley area to discuss new school transport arrangements which will limit the education choices of second level students. Up to now, students have been abole to go to the school of their choice, but now,

A judge yesterday hit out at the shame of young people without jobs finding money to drink and then carrying out assaults in towns across the country. Judge John O’Hagan was dealing with two brothers who smashed a man’s face in a Christmas holiday attack outside a Ballyshannon chipper after a night on the drink.

Donegal County Council is to establish a call centre In Milford to handle all calls to the authority. In a lengthy report on the council’s financial situation, County Manager this week confirmed he intends to established what he called a contact centre by July. Some councillors were unhappy that the proposal was presented without debate,

The jury in the trial of a Donegal man accused of raping a woman when she was a girl has been sent home for the night having failed to reach a verdict. The man has pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 46 counts of indecent assault and rape of the woman, who

Cross border linkages have disappeared off the political agenda in the Republic of Ireland, according to the Director of Letterkenny Institute of Technology. Paul Hannigan was speaking in Lifford as he asked councillors for their views on the future direction of the college. The I.T. is preparing a strategy document for the Higher Education Authority,

A man accused of running around Galliagh in Derry in an “enraged state of mind” with a handgun and a can of petrol has been refused bail. John McGinley, of 123A Bloomfield Park, is charged with possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of a petrol

People are being warned to be on the lookout after reports of people claiming to be from the Council trying to collect the household charge. There has been a number of reports today of people going round door to door in the Glengad and Buncrana areas pretending to be from the local authority. Donegal County

Donegal Circuit Court has today ordered the immediate return of money frozen in an Ulster Bank account to its rightful owner, Sharman Duncan. Judge John O’Hagan said €32,606 held in an account by Thomas Elvin was the property of Ms Duncan after prosecutor Patricia McLaughlin said there was no dispute about its ownership following Elvin’s

Former Fianna Fail Minister Dr James McDaid has come to the defence of Bertie Ahern stating he believes evidence he gave to the Mahon Tribunal about a dig-out was true. Dr McDaid says that while he accepted the majority of the Tribunal’s findings,  it is wrong to treat them as infallible and for them not

The jury in the trial of a man accused of 46 counts of indecent assault and rape of a woman in Donegal over 30 years ago, is expected to retire to consider its verdict today. The trial reached its closing stages on Friday and Mr Justice Paul Carney will charge the jury later before sending

Sinn Fein says the deadline for paying the household charge should NOT be extended. Latest estimates put the number of people who have signed up at less than 370 thousand, as the clock ticks down to Saturday evening’s deadline. The government has insisted there’ll be no extension to that date. Sinn Fein’s finance spokesman Pearse

Government parties and Fianna Fail have both been accused of time wasting and delaying tactics in a bid to block emergency motions relating to the Household Charge in the Donegal Council chamber. Sinn Fein Cllr Jack Murray had submitted a special motion that members instruct the County Manager not to use powers given to him

There’s been another flare up in the Donegal Council Chamber less than a fortnight after a meeting agreed that members would observe standing orders and not interrupt or challenge colleagues while speaking. The latest row cam as Cllr Frank Mc Brearty sought to move an emergency motion that the council would provide money for road

A spokesperson for Donegal’s Islands has welcomed Deputy Dinny McGinley’s reaction to a report that sets out a three year survival plan for the islands. The report, which was launched yesterday on Arranmore Island, has called for a ban on salmon fishing to be reconsidered. It claims scientists agree there is a surplus of wild

Road safety chiefs in the west have expressed concern about a new game among young motorists which they warn is putting many lives at risk. They have said young drivers are engaging in a “beat the clock” game where they try to trim minutes off the estimated journey times on SatNavs. The practice is said

A Sligo man has been jailed for 15 years for the repeated rape and sexual abuse of his teenage daughter which led to him fathering her child. The Central Criminal Court heard the abuse began in September 2005 when she was 13 and continued for 2 years. ”I trusted my dad, he was my hero

A report that sets out a three-year survival plan for Donegal’s offshore islands has called for a ban on salmon fishing to be reconsidered. The report was launched on Arranmore island today by Minister of State and Donegal TD Dinny McGinley. It claims scientists agree there is a surplus of wild salmon in the Atlantic

County Manager Seamus Neely has said he believes the executive of the council can reach agreement with the operator of the Foyle and Swilly Ferries to get both services on the water for the maximum period of time. He said that will be done within the €50,000 budget  available. This issue led to some tension

The Vice President of the Dublin Council of Trade Unions says its not the job of local authority workers to pursue people for the household charge. Figures show that only around 20 per cent of properties have registered and paid the 100 euro fee – out of the 1.6 million homes eligible to do so.

Donegal County Council has been told that the county can benefit from the Connect Ireland initiative which was launched earlier this month. Connect Ireland has been appointed by the IDA to target 5,000 jobs in the SME sector by offering incentives to people here to contact relatives and friends involved in busines abroad, particularly in

A judge today ordered a bank to restore €32,600 scammed from a middle-aged woman by a fraudster who once ran a company called Pear Shaped Resources. Peter Nolan, counsel for the woman, Sharman Duncan, said that during the man’s trial €32,606 owned by her was traced to an account run by Thomas Elvin in the

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to a road traffic collision on the Letterkenny to Churchill Road last night. At least three cars were involved in the collision which occurred close to the Rock Bar at 9.20pm. A number of people were removed to Letterkenny General Hospital as a precaution – none received serious injuries. Gardai

A new major drive to bring European tourists to the North West has been launched The campaign will target Germany, France, Italy and England and aims to capitalise on the recently announced new air routes into Ireland West Airport Knock. The Western Development Commission is working with regional Local Authorities including Donegal County Council in

Specialist police dogs will be used during new searches for missing teenager Arlene Arkinson which get underway today. The 15-year-old from Castlederg disappeared after a night out in Bundoran in the early hours of 14 August 1994. Her body has never been recovered. A police spokesperson comfirmed a new search has begun today stating the

Met Eireann says Ireland is experiencing unusually warm weather for this time of year. Yesterday parts of the country, were warmer then Mediterranean countries like Greece or Tenerife – with temperatures reaching almost 21 degrees. Met Eireann’s weather station in  Finner Camp and Malin both reached 20C And Forecaster Pat Clarke has some good news

Two Donegal men remain in a critical condition in hospital this morning following separate incidents over the weekend. A man in his 30’s is in the Intensive Care Unit of Letterkenny General Hospital following an assault in Letterkenny on Saturday night. A second man is in a critical condition in hospital in Dublin following a

The people of Donegal said no to the household charge at the weekend as over a thousand people turned out for a ‘Cant Pay Wont Pay’ protest in Letterkenny. Around 328 thousand people have registered to pay the 100 euro charge – but 80 percent of people still haven’t – just one week ahead of

Donegal North East Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has paid tribute to former Donegal County Councillor and Buncrana Town Councillor, Jim Ferry who has died today. Mr Ferry had served on Donegal County Council for eight years from 1991 to 1999 and on Buncrana Town Council for over ten years from 1991 to 2002, serving as

New figures show that in some cases Donegal people are paying almost twice as much in bin charges compared to other parts of the country. A survey by the Irish Independent shows waste collection costs vary massively around the country, with rates ranging from €199 a year in Kilkenny to €380 in Donegal. it is

Donegal North East Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has paid tribute to former Donegal County Councillor and Buncrana Town Councillor, Jim Ferry who has died today. Mr Ferry had served on Donegal County Council for eight years from 1991 to 1999 and on Buncrana Town Council for over ten years from 1991 to 2002, serving as

The people of Donegal said no to the household charge today as over a thousand people turned out for a ‘Cant Pay Wont Pay’ protest in Letterkenny. Around 328 thousand people have registered to pay the 100 euro charge – but 80 percent of people still haven’t – just one week ahead of the final